ALMOST anywhere

Dear Sweet Husband of Mine,

You know how I've always told you I'd follow you anywhere?

Well today as I was walking around the lake,

it occurred to me that maybe

I should clarify one thing.

If you should happen to get a wild hair someday

and invite me to join you out on a lake

with ice this thin looking,

you're probably gonna be

on your own.

I'll be glad to cook the fish for dinner though.

Love,

Tracy P.

P.S.  It occurs to me that this is perhaps why ice fishing got started in the first place.
In case "all" the men who read my blog are laughing at me rather than with me.
Note that my husband hasn't begun this ridiculous ritual.  Yet.

When the trees look like jewels...

...it's really good if you can stay home and take photos of them,
and leave your car in the garage.

Without ever leaving home

You don't have to go out on a chilly Saturday night

to take your sports car for a spin

or even to take your dog for a walk.

It must be noted, however, 

that you may be Mr. Moneybags

or a land baron,

but if someone else has Boardwalk and Park Place,

your chances of winning are not so good.

How I got hooked

As I hear Bethany's bus go by, 

I hurry to the window.

It's my favorite moment of the day 

to watch her

being her.

This time, instead of coming in

she grabs a shovel

and goes to work.

Unaware that I grab a camera

and go to work.

Blissful work.

My friend Kate asked me the other day

how I got hooked on taking pictures.

I thought of the years lived overseas.

Of the scrapbooking kick begun before I was even married.

But today I realized

THIS is how I got hooked.

It's the series that tells the whole story.

Love.

Family field trips

Although we love our kids' schools and wouldn't want them anywhere else, 

I have to admit that I envy the fact that homeschool families

can go on field trips almost anytime.

We still go on a lot of family field trips,

but unfortunately they sort of need to coincide with the school calendar.

We missed a few days of school for our Christmas trip,

but I think we did a decent job of providing educational experiences.

Like this trip to the Holy Land Experience.

And this roadside stop at a cotton field.

Nothing like seeing for yourself why Eli Whitney was a hero.

We were passing by this college town,

so we stopped by for a taste of the college experience.

And by taste, I mean we visited the football stadium.

We learned all about westward expansion and the Louisiana Purchase

at the Gateway Arch.

And last but not least,
I taught Ben how to use Photoshop.  

Because racecars need numbers.

Once a teacher, always a teacher.